ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Abutilon theophrastii
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    MALVALES
 FAMILY:   MALVACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Abutilon theophrastii
 AUTHORITY:  Medic.
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    BUTTONWEED
    VELVETLEAF
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: ABTH
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     CULTURAL
       AGRICULTURAL FIELD
         CROPLAND
         PASTURELAND
         FIELD DIVISION
       SUCCESSIONAL FIELD
         ABANDONED CROPLAND
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:
     NO
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           ALEXANDER       BOND            BOONE           CALHOUN
   CASS            CHAMPAIGN       CHRISTIAN       CLARK           CLINTON
   COLES           COOK            CRAWFORD        CUMBERLAND      DEKALB
   DEWITT          DOUGLAS         DUPAGE          EDGAR           EFFINGHAM
   FAYETTE         FORD            FULTON          GALLATIN        GREENE
   GRUNDY          HAMILTON        HANCOCK         HARDIN          HENDERSON
   HENRY           IROQUOIS        JACKSON         JEFFERSON       JERSEY
   JO DAVIESS      JOHNSON         KANE            KANKAKEE        KENDALL
   KNOX            LAKE            LASALLE         LAWRENCE        LIVINGSTON
   LOGAN           MCDONOUGH       MCHENRY         MCLEAN          MACON
   MACOUPIN        MARION          MARSHALL        MASON           MASSAC
   MENARD          MERCER          MONROE          MONTGOMERY      MORGAN
   MOULTRIE        OGLE            PEORIA          PERRY           PIATT
   PIKE            POPE            PULASKI         PUTNAM          RANDOLPH
   RICHLAND        ST. CLAIR       SALINE          SANGAMON        SCOTT
   SHELBY          STEPHENSON      TAZEWELL        UNION           VERMILION
   WASHINGTON      WAYNE           WHITESIDE       WILL            WILLIAMSON
   WINNEBAGO       WOODFORD
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-herb
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Primary
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:   Alternate
    LEAF TYPE:   Simple
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire   Dentate
    LEAF VENATION:  Palmate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Ovate     Orbicular     Cordate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Solitary- few
    FLOWER MEROUS:  5
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Complete   Regular
    FLOWER COLOR:   Yellow
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   SCHIZOCARP
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Introduced-  Asia
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Common
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Forb
     LIFE CYCLE:   Annual
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      8         MONTH END-     10
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Perfect
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Species is distributed in waste areas; along railroads; vacant
     lots; new piles of soil.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:    No data entered
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     EDIBLE:  Yes
     SHOWY FLOWERS:  YES      AMOUNT:  Low
     LANDSCAPING:  NO
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Seeds are edible.  Introduced into North America because of its potential as
     a source of bast fiber (Spencer, 1984).
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:   No data entered
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:
     WEEDINESS:   Economic
     SEED BANK:   High
 
 
 REVEGATATION COMMENTS:
     A major weed of maize, cotton, soybeans, and sorghum in the eastern United
     States.  Seeds are viable in the soil for 20-50 years (Spencer, 1984).
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Mohlenbrock, R. H., ed.  1975.  Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.  494 pp.
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Mohlenbrock, R. H.  1967-continuing.  The illustrated flora of Illinois.
     Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale.
Agricultural Experiment Station.  1981.  Weeds of the North Central States.
     Bulletin 772.  College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-
     Champaign, Urbana.  303 pp.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
 
 OTHER REFERENCES:
     Spencer, N. R.  1984.  Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae), history
          and economic impact in the United States.  Economic Botany 38: 407-416.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Abutilon theophrastii
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015